RCMP in Whitecourt said a cougar had to be destroyed after it attacked a man’s dog on Boxing Day, the pet survived after its owner stepped in.

Police said officers were called to the cougar attack near a Tim Hortons in Whitecourt, located near Elko Drive on December 26 at about 6:30 p.m.

Reports indicated the 31-year-old Red Deer man, William Gibb, was walking his dog in a wooded area at the time, when his dog was attacked by the cougar.

Gibb said his dog, Sasha, ran into the woods before the attack.

“It was about less than 30 seconds, I hear Sasha just howling like she was in so much pain and it took me a second to realize something bad had happened,” Gibb told CTV News Wednesday.

Gibb said he didn’t know what to do exactly, he just knew he had to intervene quickly.

RCMP said the dog owner yelled and punched the cougar.

“I just aimed for what looked like the head, punched it on the side of the head and the thing backed right off, it let go of her,” Gibb said.

The cougar left puncture marks in Sasha’s neck and deep cuts on her chest, and Gibb said the large animal wouldn’t back down, scratching him on the wrist as he tried to fight it off.

“I am trying to calm [Sasha] down and swing at the cougar because the cougar is still within a couple of feet and we are jabbing at each other, it’s pawing at me,” Gibb said.

Eventually, Gibb managed to get his dog to safety and call police. RCMP said cougar sightings in the area are common, but attacks are not.

“Certainly [it is] a bit of a wakeup call, glad to say in this case police were called immediately and we were able to protect the public,” Sgt. Tom Kalis said.

Police said because the cougar was behaving aggressively, and posed a threat to the public, it was shot and killed on scene before Albert Fish and Wildlife officials could arrive on the scene.

“We’re not equipped unfortunately to tranquilize or capture animals necessarily,” Sgt. Kalis said. “Fish and Wildlife [officials] are better equipped and in this case, because of immediate danger we had to use lethal force with the cougar.”

Meanwhile, Gibb says he’s grateful Sasha is expected to make a full recovery, and he will be more careful in the future.

“I’d like to think of myself as being better prepared than the average person, this situation has proved otherwise,” Gibb said.

RCMP said pet owners, who plan on walking their pets near forested areas, especially at night, should be aware of their surroundings and keep pets on a leash.

Fish and Wildlife officials are doing a DNA test to ensure it was the same animal that attacked the dog.

With files from Taylor Oseen